Following the news that RELI Group had added Jason Balser as Senior Director of AI & Data Strategy, we caught up to find out his next steps, how his cross-industry perspective will help drive customer missions, and the small businesses he hopes to hear from to drive continued innovation and impact.
Cutting through the Noise to Solve Challenges
I’m a problem solver at heart. Over the course of my career, I’ve helped organizations, primarily in the commercial and non-profit sectors, tackle complex challenges through the intentional use of technology. I began as a developer, which gave me a strong technical foundation, but I’ve always been most interested in how technology can drive impactful outcomes for people. Today’s technology landscape is evolving at breakneck speed, and many organizations are struggling to keep up. I focus on helping them cut through the noise, understand their core challenges, and identify the right solutions to move forward with clarity and confidence.
Cross-industry Perspective Driving Missions
I’m drawn to mission-driven organizations, and RELI stands out for how deeply it aligns its capabilities with the missions of its clients. To be a trusted partner, you have to internalize your clients’ challenges as your own and RELI does exactly that. Their domain expertise is not only deep but also intentionally aligned with real client needs.
What I bring is a cross-industry perspective and a mindset shaped by years of working across sectors. My approach is always to start with the mission and work backward to the solution. In a world where AI evolves daily, separating reality from hype is challenging but essential to success. I aim to bring a disciplined, intentional approach to how RELI and its clients think about and apply their data strategy and AI.
An Intentional Strategy around AI and Data
RELI is already known for delivery excellence and deep client commitment. My focus is to build on that foundation by embedding a more intentional strategy around data and AI with purpose-built, scalable frameworks that can be applied across RELI’s solutions and partnerships.
Repeatability enables scale, but the real challenge is scaling without sacrificing innovation. That’s why I always start with people and their objectives. Technology should serve the mission, not the other way around.
Addressing Data Quality and Change Management
There’s a clear push toward AI adoption and automation and breaking down data silos. Agencies are also increasingly looking to apply private-sector best practices to public-sector challenges. Across industries, two persistent challenges stand out: data quality and change management.
On the data front, organizations tend to fall into two camps – those who can wrangle their data, and those who can’t (yet). Without strong data foundations, AI and automation fall short, or worse, create more problems. As for change management, I prefer the term “change orchestration.” AI isn’t just another tool. It’s an exponential disruptor. Organizations that don’t proactively orchestrate that disruption will struggle to remain relevant and survive.
Call to Small Business
I’m always interested in connecting with small businesses that bring unique capabilities and tackle niche challenges with creative, high-impact solutions. I especially value partners with deep domain expertise who share our commitment to helping clients achieve their missions. I have found that collaboration works best when it’s grounded in shared purpose and complementary strengths.
Regardless of the technology, the organizations that excel are those that stay grounded in their mission and are guided by strategy. They create innovative solutions by building teams that blend technical depth with domain expertise and who work in close partnership with the people they serve. At RELI, we’re expanding on a culture that embraces this mindset, one that values intentionality, collaboration and impact. I’m excited to be part of that journey and am looking forward to the possibilities ahead.
